Thank You!

I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues in EDCI 6160. You have all been great this semester with your comments and support. I wish you all the best of luck on your journeys through your degree programs. I also would like to say Happy Holidays and Have a great New Year!

Quote/Poem

WHY I TEACH  

Sometimes I lie awake at nightand wonder why I teach.Why I come to school each dayconcerned with who I reach.  

When I see a hurting childI always worry......why?Joe is sick and Tom is hurtJill's boyfriend made her cry.                                              

Why should I care at 4 o'clockwhat happens to these kids?I'm paid to teach-not get involved!Love them?  God Forbid!!!  

Sometimes I lie awake at nightand wonder why I teach.The answer lies so deep inside.There's always one I reach.  

by Sara Pralle 

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” - Forest Witcraft

 

The quote by Witcraft is something I look at everyday. I was given this quote on a mug that I drink my coffee out of every morning. Looking at it reminds me of what I am at work for everyday. You never know how you touched a childs life, but I think it is important to try all you can. I choose the poem above because I think it also reminds me of why I do what I do.

Assessment

Every time you turn around adults are trying to assess children. Most of the time it is done with standardized test. I assess children monthly with Benchmark test. These test are given every 4 to 6 weeks after a unit of material has been taught. The children are asked to recall the things they learned over this 4 to 6 week period and sum it up it a 30 question test. If that is not enough we have to start collecting writing samples each month and assess them. I have learned that yes you may need figure out where a child is biosocially, cognitively, and psychosocial, but that does not have to happen through assessment. I have found that just letting a child be child and observing can help you understand many things. One of the children in my class does horrible when I am trying to get her to write. During a parent-teacher conference I brought this to her mother. Her mother happen to have the little girl's note to Santa. Her mother said she had written on her own and had brought it to her to mail. I was able to copy the note and put it in her file. This is a prime example of just letting a child be a child and being able to get what you need. I know that assessment is necessary, but I don't think we should force it. We need to know where a child is biosocially, cognitively, and psychosocial in order to determine what we need to do next for them.

I looked up how children are assessed in Australia. They start to test their students around 3rd grade with numbers and literacy. When students enter 6 grade, they will began being tested in science, civics, and citizenship.Unlike the United States, Australia does not test all their children. Children are randomly selected to be tested.They only compare the different territories against each other. I think that it is good that they wait until 3rd grade to test their children. I think it is hard to see what mind set young children are in. I do realize that testing children is essential to how we carry ourselves int he educational world. I just don't think everything needs to be assessed. If you leave children alone sometimes you will be amazed at what comes out.

Reference
Ministerial Council of Education (2009) Assessing Student Achievement in Australia 2009. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/AssessingStudentAchievement2009Brochure.pdf

Violence and Natural Diasters

Working in the public school system I have come across a lot of different situations. The first situation I want to talk about gun violence and children. While doing my student teaching in a pre-k classroom I came across Gregory. He did not speak much and seemed very attached to the teacher. Everyday it was a fight to get Gregory on the bus to go home. I also noticed strange behaviors of pulling his shirt up and touching his chest. After several weeks of strange behavior from Gregory the teacher did not know what to do. One day his grandmother came to pick him up and we asked her about his behavior. She told us that while he was playing in the yard in front of his home there was a drive by shooting. Gregory was shoot several times in the chest. He could still feel the places in his chest where the bullets went in. The family still stayed in the home where this happened and that is why he did not want to go home everyday. When the grandmother told us this information we were finally able to understand why he acted the way he did. The teacher was able to get him help and help him cope better. The ICARE counselor at the school began talking to him and was able to talk to his mom to help him cope.

The stress of gun violence for Gregory is like the stress of a Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004.
According to the article in Child Development magazine. A study was done by researchers at California State University, Los Angeles, looked at more than 400 Sri Lanka youths ages 11 to 20 who survived the tsunami. Specifically, the study found that while war and disaster have had a direct effect on the youths' psychological health, poverty, family violence, and lack of safe housing also represent major sources of continuing stress.Eighty percent of the children interviewed after the tsunami had been directly affected by the tidal wave, with many telling tales of struggling in the water. Sixty to 90 percent of the children also reported war-related experiences, such as witnessing bombings or seeing dead bodies.The study found that all of the adverse experiences contributed significantly to the children's difficulties adapting. Particularly stressful were very severe exposure to trauma, loss of family members, and domestic violence. Many religious organizations and others such as the red cross have been offering counseling to the children and to all that were affected by what happened.

The tusami reminds me of what Louisiana went through when Hurricane Katrina hit. So many families were broken. Homes were destroyed and has to adapt so quickly. I was in college when it happened and it affected me with so many of my family coming from New Orleans. My mother had a house full of people for a few weeks until they were able to go out on their own. No one in my family had small children at the time. I love though that through this time people came together and it made communities stronger because of it.

References
Fernando, G.A. (2010) The impact of disaster related and daily stressors on the Psychological and Psychosocial Functioning of the Youth in Sri Lanka. Child development, Vol. 81, Issue 4.
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Breastfeeding

According to www.mumsweb.com Breast milk is perfectly suited to the baby it's made for. If a baby is born prematurely, that mother's milk will be higher in iron than it would have been had the baby gone to full term. As each baby grows, mother's breasts produce milk which changes in volume and composition to meet the baby's changing needs.
Breastfeeding is meaningful me because I breastfeed my son for the first 4 months. I felt that it was a bonding experience. I feel closer to my son because of it. I have also noticed that he does not get sick as much as other children. I found that people in the United States do not breastfeed as much as people in the other countries. In India breastfeeding is a necessity for the poor people who live in the slums, but in the middle and upper class breastfeeding is becoming less common because the women are being consumed by being working mothers. I find that more women need to breastfeed. I will use this knowledge to tell more women about breastfeeding. I will do my part by breastfeeding any future children I have. I want more women to protect their children like I did against illness.

Giving Birth

The birth of Brandon. I went into labor on Wednesday, July 18 at 8:36 p.m. While standing in the kitchen I felt a sharp pain hit me. I grabbed the back of a chair to hold myself up while going through the contraction. After it passed I began to walk, when another one hit me. I then looked over to the clock on the stove to began timing the contractions. After my contractions got closer together I yelled to my husband that I needed to go to the hospital. My husband was so nervous he was laughing. (It was not funny to me.) When we got to the hospital I was wheeled to the maternity ward. The doctor came in and checked me. She said "You are not that far along. We will keep you for a while and if you are not further along we will send you back home." After about an hour and a half the doctor came back in and while she was checking my cervix my water broke on her hand. "I guess your staying," she said. Around 8:00 am the next morning the doctor came in and said that his heart was not beating correctly and they needed to take him. My husband who faints at the sight of anyone's blood but his own asked my mother in law to go into surgery with me. They wheeled me into surgery and at 9:56 am I gave birth to a 8lb 9oz, 19 inch long baby boy.

I choose this birth experience because it is the only one I have experienced. My husband and I are the oldest of our siblings and no one else has had children. I think giving birth to a child made me realize how proud I am to be a mother. It is amazing how you feel an automatic connection to someone you just met.

I saw the movie Babies. In this movie they follow babies from their birth to about 4 years old of four women from around the world. In the beginning of the movie they show how each woman gives birth. A woman in Africa is in a hut crouched down on the dirt floor giving birth while a midwife stands on the side. As the baby comes out she reaches down a grabs the baby.When he is all the way out she pulls him up and puts him on her chest. The woman gets no medical care or anything. It is funny how in America we rush to the hospital when we give birth, but in other countries they can just give birth in a corner. This woman needed no drugs or anything. It makes you think if all the things we go through to give birth are necessary?

Even though this woman and I had almost completely different birthing experiences we both still felt automatic connections to our babies. I don't think how a child is born, natural or with drugs, makes a difference on the development of a child. As long as their are no complications during birth I think all children will develop at an appropriate rate.

Thank You!

I would like to say Thank You to all of those people who helped me through out my first online course. Thank You to those people who commented on my blog, who responded to my discussion board post and sent me emails letting my know different things. If it weren't for the helps for my colleagues I don't know how I would have made it through this first course.

Examing Code of Ethics

NAEYC Code of Ethics Ideal I-1.7 states that To use assessment information to understand and support children's development and learning, to support instruction, and to identify children who may need additional services. I have a child in my class who transferred from another school. When he came we tested him and found him two grades below level. We contacted the other school and they claimed to have done interventions and support to get this child the services they needed. When they sent us their paper work, there was nothing usable. My question is how does a child get to the second grade and he couldn't pass a kindergarten placement test? Because of episodes like this I try to pay close attention to my students to make sure I can do everything in my power to make sure they get what they need to succeed.

NAEYC Code of Ethics Principles P-2.5- We shall make every effort to communicate effectively with all families in a language that they understand. We shall use community resources for translation and interpretation when we do not have sufficient resources in our own programs. There are a lot of Spanish speaking families moving into our school attendance zone. I have found that in several families the parents do not speak English. The Spanish teacher at our school has been kind enough to sit in on conferences with us to translate. He is also nice enough to translate notes for us to the parents when we need it. Having him there makes it easier on us and the families.

DEC Code of Ethics Enhancement of Children's and Families' Quality of Lives 1. We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and cultures. One of the children in my class is a Jehovah witness. During the holiday's when we have a celebrations, the school sends there children to the library where they watch movies and do other things. I also try to find alternate activities for children like this. An example is when we were making Santa puppets I gave the other child an animal puppet. Doing things like this help to show families that we respect their culture and values.

Additional Resources

Course resourcses can be found it link at the bottom of the page

ADDITIONAL RESOUCES

• Bickart, T. S., Jablon, J. R., & Dodge, D. T., (1999). Building the Primary Classrooom. Washington, D.C.: Teaching Strategies Inc.
• Berk, L. E., (2006). Child Development. New York, New York: Pearson Publishing.
• Dodge, D. T., Colker, L.J., & Heroman, C., (2002). The Creative Curriculum for preschool.Washington, D.C.: Teaching Strategies Inc.

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"I'm not here to save the world, but make a difference in the community in which I'm working"
                                                                                  - Raymond Hernandez

"Children are not succeeding because they are not given the tools they need not because they don't have the intelligence."
                                                                               - Louise Derman- Sparks

"Students not only need to know how to use a skill but also when to use it. They need to learn to recognize for themselves the context in which the skill might be useful and the purposes it can most appropriately serve."
                                                                                  - Sylvia Chard

Personal Childhood Web

This is dedicated to the people who have helped make me who I am today.
First and Formost my mother -Estelle. She taught me that being a girl did not mean letting others do for you all the time. My mother taught me how to change a tire and mow the grass. I learned if you want something done then do it yourself. She has always showed me the way.
Second my father- Kevin. My father showed me what a real man is. Anywhere my father went my siblings and I went. I don't care if it was to a football game, fishing, or hunting. He taught me that parents are suppose to raise their children and take care of them.
Third my aunt-Malinda. She is like a second mother to me. When my parents had to work she watched me with her children. She is the one who taught me how to drive and important life lessons.
Fourth My sister- Ashley. As a child my sister and I did not really get along well, but no matter how much we argued she was still my sister. I remember when it would storm and she would come get in my bed because she was scared. I knew what being a big sister was all about from times like those.
Fifth my cousin- Felicia. She is someone that I could confide in when I didn't know what to do. She was like the big sister I never had. She took care of and help me figure those akward teenage days expecially with the things I didn't want to talk to my parents about.
All of these people are still in my life. It makes me happy to know that people cared about me enough to spend time with me. The love that my family showed me makes me feel so special because I see so many children today not getting that same love. If it weren't for my family I would't be who I am today.

Wild Day!

I need get my frustration out so ill use this blog. I am tried and have had a long day. I have so many feelings inside of me I can't do anything because I don't know what will come out. I stayed up late typing my discussion for class because once something gets in my head I have to get it out. I then woke late and forgot my child's juice cup, my lunch, and M&M's for a math assignment at home. Leaving the house late already I had to make it to the grocery store to buy more M&M's before heading off to school. After school I had a parent teacher conference and didn't leave school until 4:15. I had to pick up my son and take him to soccer practice. Got to soccer practice 10 minutes late because I was not paying attention to the time. After leaving soccer practice I finally made it home. At 7:30 I received a call that no one had done my second job of delivering packages. I then had to rush out and deliver all the packages on my route and made it home at 9:30. I am losing my mind. Sometimes I want to quit it all but then how will I get to where I want to be. Maybe I need a vacation or something.

Book I Love

A book that I love to read is called The Perfect Nest. I love this book because it reminds me of what we have to do sometimes in our community. In the book a cat builds a nest to attract a chicken. He wants the chicken to lay an egg so he can make an omelet. He gets a chicken, a duck, and a goose to all lay eggs. He plan back fires when they all will not leave the nest and are sitting on the eggs. He eventually tells them that the next farm has a even better nest and why don't they go use that one. The problem is when they all leave the eggs hatch and all the babies think he is their father. The cat is left to watch three children (none are his). I love this book because it shows that you can unconditional love for a child even if you were not the one that brought them into this world. This reminds me so much of a woman that I know who has 8 kids. All of them are not hers. Her sister died and she took the responsibility for her sisters children with already having 3 of her own. This book has so many different things you can take out of it like mothers abandoning their children for something better in the next farm over. My son only loves that the animals all have different accents and he loves anything about animals.

My blog title.

I named my blog don't make me use my teacher voice for a number of reasons. The first is that it is hard to turn off being a teacher. When I am at a store and see children miss behaving, I have to stop myself from correcting them. I also have a bad habit of correcting people when they are talking. My husband teases me about this all the time. He will self correct himself and apologize to me laughing because he knows it bugs me. I know that no matter what I do I am always a teacher and it will show in everything I do, So Don't make me use my teacher voice!

Touched My Heart

When I was doing student teaching in a pre-kindergarten class, I met a little girl named Ja'Diamond. It was one of the first days of school. We went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. She asked one of the teachers to feed her. The teacher told her that she was in school now and she had to feed herself. The teacher asked her "Didn't your mother teach you how to eat at the table at home?". Ja'Diamond replied "We don't have a table."
This taught me to never assume anything when it comes to children. What I was brought up learning and taught is sometimes the furthest thing from what the child that I work with know. I have to open my mind to new experiences and except whatever challenge come my way.

Quote I Love

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. ~Harold Hulbert

I have understood this quote to be so true. Expecially when there are children in my class that act out and get on my last nerve. Children act out because they don't know any other way to express themselves.The ones that are crying for attention have something in them that needs to be heard and sometimes I am the only one listening.